I caught El Ten Eleven back in Denton last winter, and I was amazed at how two people could create such a pleasant racket. I wondered: how can they walk around with all of that inside them? Are they constantly bursting at the seams with their own creativity, or are they able to bottle everything up only to release it in full onstage? Last night’s show pointed to all of the above, and the large audience crowding the stage at The Bootleg gladly soaked up the layered waves of sound that the duo so generously provided.

“I think the fog means we can start now,” guitarist/bassist/loop master Kristian Dunn spoke into the mic, a sly grin on his face. The crowd cheered, and they began the show with their signature blend of instrumental madness. In addition to the many electronic drums, loops, and Kristian’s double-necked guitar, Tim Fogarty played a live drumset in a way that showcased his mastery of different styles. He beat the hell out of those skins with straight-ahead rock and rave-worthy beats, then reeled it back in to let Kristian’s guitar melodies come through. He made a sixteenth pattern on the cymbals that was pure aural art, his hands were so steady. At one point, he stood up from his set and kneeled in front of Kristian, carefully tapping out a Morse code sequence on the bottom half of his double-necked guitar. The crowd went wild, and though the moment was brief it shone a bright light on the power of their creativity.

 

 

I’ll be the first to admit that when a band downshifts into a slow number, I’m the first one heading to the bar for another drink. But not last night. Even El Ten Eleven‘s ballads are hip and fresh, and the true definition of slow jam (emphasis on jam). Kristian switched off between fat bass lines and gnarly guitar riffs, shedding styles and tempos quickly and often. The duo’s ability to move from funk and hip hop-inspired beats to strung out ambient grooves made for a mesmerizing performance, and the variety of effects and loops in El Ten Eleven‘s bottomless bag of tricks had me constantly returning to the phrase ‘How’d they do that?’ El Ten Eleven has shows lined up in Arizona and San Diego at the end of the month. For more information about their tour, click here. Their latest album These Promises Are Being Videotaped is now available on iTunes.

 

Sister Crayon, one of the opening acts, had no problem warming up the surprisingly thick 8:30 crowd. When I caught their show at The Echo back in August (for the full article click here), I was thrilled to find such a precious diamond amidst the opening rough. They began last night’s performance with ‘Here We Never Die’,  lead singer Terra Lopez’s haunting voice emanting from under her signature sweatshirt hood. Not only is it an eerie, irresistibly danceable tune, but it’s a great opener that showcases the band’s unique talents and beats. Terra’s voice has multiple unique facets, and for her, singing is a very physical activity. She knows when to coo and breathe softly when the microphone is close to her lips, and when to pull it back to let her powerful vocal chords flex their well-toned muscles. At one point towards the end of the show, she sang a line a capella, and even without the ultra-cool echo and reverb effects her voice was absolutely bewitching. I was just as transfixed by the ease with which drummer Nicholas Suhr held it all together, stopping on a dime and constantly revamping and ripping up layer after layer of rhythms. Recent addition Jeffrey LaTour played guitar and keys with a sublime subtletly that lightened up the group’s tendency towards dark tones and themes. Petite Dani Fernandez conjured gigantic sounds from her drum pad, ratcheting up the energy of the group with constantly shape-shifting, chest-thumping beats.

One thing’s for certain: there’s no shortage of talent within Sister Crayon, and it’s impossible not to label each of the four members integral to the group’s artistic efforts. Each of their individual performances were impressive, but it was the way their separate sounds coalesced together that makes Sister Crayon truly exceptional as a group. You can tell that every member is as invested in their own craft as well as that of the band’s, a fact made plain by the quartet’s obvious shared joy onstage (as seen by their unison head-bobbing). No one is interested in an ego trip, only trip hop and some of the sickest beats that I’ve ever heard (let alone heard live). Sister Crayon is scheduled to release a full-length album early next year. They have several dates planned in California in the near future: for more information on their current tour schedule, click here.